Honoring the lifetime achievements of the late People's Artist Ngo Manh Lan

The Grand Prize - Lifetime Achievement - Cricket Knight Award honored the late Associate Professor, Doctor, painter, director, and People's Artist Ngo Manh Lan for his lifelong contributions to Vietnamese children's art.

The 7th Cricket Children's Award - 2026 has just announced its results, with 1 Grand Prize - Lifetime Achievement - Cricket Knight, 6 Cricket Aspiration Awards, and 4 Honorable Mentions from the Judging Panel.

The Cricket Children's Award, founded by the Vietnam News Agency and organized annually since 2020 by the Sports and Culture Newspaper, aims to honor artistic creations and performances by children, for children. Over six seasons, the award has bestowed the title of Cricket Knight upon four authors: Nguyen Nhat Anh, Tran Duc Tien, Ly Lan, and Pham Tuyen.

People's Artist Ngoc Lan accepted the Grand Prize - Lifetime Achievement - Cricket Knight Award on behalf of her husband - the late Associate Professor, Doctor of Science, painter, director, People's Artist Ngo Manh Lan.

Entering its 7th season, the organizers announced that the award has been elevated with many important innovations, aiming to contribute to building a cultural and artistic ecosystem for Vietnamese children in the digital age, while promoting reading culture and developing cultural industry products for children.

According to the results announced by the judging panel after the final round on May 14, 2026, the Grand Prize - Lifetime Achievement - Cricket Knight Award was presented to the late People's Artist Ngo Manh Lan - considered the "leading figure" of Vietnamese animation. He left his mark with a series of classic works such as The Story of Ong Giong, The Little Cat, The Toad and the Frog, The Talking Magpie, The Warm Coats ... along with many famous illustrations for The Adventures of Cricket.

The authors who received the Cricket's Aspiration Award.

The judging panel acknowledged that the late People's Artist Ngo Manh Lan not only made significant contributions to animation and children's book illustration but also helped shape the style of modern Vietnamese comics. His works are considered a part of the childhood memories of many generations of Vietnamese readers.

Poet Tran Dang Khoa, Chairman of the judging panel, commented that awarding the Grand Prize - Lifetime Achievement - Cricket Knight Award is a meaningful initiative to honor artists who have dedicated their lives to children. Meanwhile, painter Thanh Chuong believes that honoring the late People's Artist Ngo Manh Lan is entirely deserved because he was not only talented but also had a profound influence on many generations of painters.

In the "Cricket's Aspiration" category, six works were awarded prizes: "100 Legs" by Nguyen Ngoc Thuan, "The Strangest Grandmother in the World" by Nguyen Thi Nhu Hien, the series "Vietnam Through the Drawings of Hai Nam" by young artist Nguyen Dang Hai Nam, "The Robot Who Thought He Was Human" by Le Anh Vinh, the Wolfoo animated series produced by Sconnect Vietnam, and the comic book "Yersin - The Song of the Whale" by Ta Huy Long.

Child artist Nguyen Dang Hai Nam receives the Cricket's Aspiration Award.

This year's competition continues to showcase many outstanding young talents. Young artist Nguyen Dang Hai Nam (16 years old) won the "Cricket's Aspiration" award with a series of paintings depicting Vietnamese life and culture from an emotionally rich perspective. Three other young artists, Vu Ngoc Diep (11 years old), Nguyen Minh Quan (11 years old), and Le Nha Uyen (10 years old), received awards from the judging panel.

The organizers noted that the 7th season shows that the creative scope of Vietnamese children's art is expanding, encompassing literature, painting, comics, animation, musicals, and multi-platform creative models in the digital age.

Journalist Nguyen Thien Thuat - Editor-in-Chief of Sports and Culture Newspaper (VNA) - Head of the Organizing Committee of the Cricket Children's Award, presented a certificate and flowers to Researcher Nguyen Dinh Tu, the Inspirational Ambassador of the Cricket Children's Award.

This year, the Cricket Children's Award also selected researcher Nguyen Dinh Tu, 106 years old, as its inspirational ambassador. The organizers stated that the image of a centenarian scholar still diligently reading, researching, and writing books is a meaningful message about the spirit of lifelong learning and creativity for the younger generation.

Besides the award ceremony, the "For a School for Children" charity program, initiated by the Sports and Culture Newspaper in 2022, continues to be maintained. To date, the program has completed 5 school construction projects in many disadvantaged localities such as Son La, Nghe An, Tuyen Quang, and Lao Cai , contributing to spreading the humanitarian spirit that the Cricket Children's Award pursues.

Photo: Organizing Committee

Composer Pham Tuyen honored with 'Cricket Knight' award at age 95. Composer Pham Tuyen was awarded the Cricket Knight Award for his immense contributions to children throughout his life and career.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/vinh-danh-thanh-tuu-tron-doi-cua-nsnd-ngo-manh-lan-2518473.html